Transformers Animated (cartoon)

2009-03-21T12:31:20Z

98.193.104.167: /* Cast */

{{Nav-Animated}}
'''''Transformers Animated''''' is a cartoon series which debuted on December 26, 2007, in support of the [[Franchise|franchise]] of [[Transformers Animated|the same name]].

The cartoon is produced by [[Cartoon Network|Cartoon Network]], scripted in the United States, with character and background designs by the crews behind shows like ''[[wikipedia:Teen_Titans_(TV_series)|Teen Titans]]'' and ''[[wikipedia:Ben_10|Ben 10]]'', while animation is being provided by Japanese studios [[Mook|Mook]], [[The Answer Studio|The Answer Studio]], and [[Studio 4°C|Studio 4°C]].

''Animated'' sees several ''[[Generation 1|Generation 1]]'' voice actors reprise their old roles ([[Susan Blu|Susan Blu]], [[Corey Burton|Corey Burton]], [[John Moschitta|John Moschitta]], etc.), and is the first ''Transformers'' series featuring [[David Kaye|David Kaye]] in which he won't be voicing [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].

==Overview==
:''For further information, see: [[Transformers Animated timeline|Transformers Animated timeline]]''

[[Image:TransformersAnimatedPoster.jpg|left|250px|thumb|"When there's trouble you know who to call..."]]
''Animated'' follows the adventures of a small crew of Autobots who come into possession of the all-powerful AllSpark artifact. Stranded on Earth and living among the population of [[Detroit|Detroit]], they face off against a series of human villains and their mighty Decepticon foes, who seek to possess the AllSpark. Though they were originally a lowly space bridge repair crew, these five Autobots must rise to their circumstances to deal with threats large and small.

The series eschews the ever-continuing space opera storylines of the [[Unicron Trilogy|Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons to return to the episodic approach of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''; most episodes are standalone stories, but with larger story arcs that stretch through the whole series. The focus is on characterization, dynamic action, and humor.

The episodes center not only on the war between the [[Autobot|Autobots]] and the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], but also on the Autobots' interactions with many of [[Detroit|Detroit]]'s [[Human|human]] supervillain denizens, including a [[Angry Archer|maladjusted marksman]], a [[Nanosec|speedy racer]], and a guy who [[Prometheus Black|looks good in a pimp suit]]. The idea is to present the Decepticons as more of an ongoing background threat instead of having them be repeatedly defeated each episode and look like bumbling fools. The arrival of a Decepticon in battle is a big deal, requiring multiple Autobots working together to stop even a single one. The human villains give the Autobots "everyday" threats, and some of their schemes are the result of Decepticon treachery. Note well: [[Doctor Arkeville|Human]] [[Lord Chumley|adversaries]] [[Circuit Breaker|are]] [[Cobra Commander|not]] [[Abdul Fakkadi|new]] [[Lazarus|in]] [[Mega|''Transformers'']] [[Giga|continuity]].

While the series is not a sequel to the [[Transformers (2007)|live-action movie]], they have many thematic elements in common, most notably the central role of the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] and the revelation that all modern technology has been reverse-engineered from the dormant body of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Hasbro also carried over some design elements from the live-action movie into ''Animated'' designs, including not just the aforementioned cube but also [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]'s medical readout striped deco, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s black racing stripe, and [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]'s helmet. These are meant to be "connection points," helping kids who had seen the theatrical film but had no prior ''Transformers'' experience ease into understanding the new series.

The series also includes many elements and homages to prior ''Transformers'' series. Most conspicuously, it has many parallels to ''[[G1|Generation 1]]'' character designs, personalities, and major characteristics; [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] and [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] are even voiced by the same voice actors as their G1 analogues. ''[[Beast Wars|Beast Wars]]'' gets nods in the form of the inclusion of new versions/homages of [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Wasp|Waspinator]], plus the overall plot structure: The main war is over, the good guys won, but now a small team of heroes never meant for combat roles must go up against an upstart cell of villains led by a charismatic rogue.

{{-}}

==Cast==
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human|Humans]]

|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
;Main Cast
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] ([[David Kaye]])
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] ([[Bill Fagerbakke]])
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] ([[Bumper Robinson]])
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] ([[Jeff Bennett]])
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] ([[Corey Burton]])
;[[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]]
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] ([[David Kaye]])
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]]
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]]
;[[Cybertron Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]]
* [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] ([[Jeff Bennett]])
* [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] ([[Phil LaMarr]])
* [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] ([[Townsend Coleman]])
* [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] ([[John Moschitta]])
;Rodimus' Team
* [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]] ([[Judd Nelson]])
* [[Brawn (Animated)|Brawn]]
* [[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]] ([[Bill Fagerbakke]])
* [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] ([[Corey Burton|Corey Burton]])
* [[Red Alert (Animated)|Red Alert]] ([[Tara Strong]])
;Others
* [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]]
* [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] ([[Susan Blu|Susan Blu]])
* [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] ([[David Kaye]])
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] ([[Cree Summer]])
* [[Highbrow (Animated)|Highbrow]] ([[David Kaye]])
* [[Mainframe (Animated)|Mainframe]]
* [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] ([[Kevin Michael Richardson|Kevin Michael Richardson]]/[[Phil LaMarr]])
* [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]]
* [[Wheeljack (Animated)|Wheeljack]]
* [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] ([["Weird Al" Yankovic]])
* [[Wasp]] ([[Tom Kenny]])

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
;Main Cast
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] ([[Corey Burton]])
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] ([[Cree Summer]])
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] ([[Bumper Robinson]])
* [[Lugnut]] ([[David Kaye|David Kaye]])
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
;[[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]]
* [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
* [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] ([[Jeff Bennett]])
* [[Dirtboss]]
;[[Starscream Clones]]
* [[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp, the Coward Clone]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
* [[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm, the Sycophant Clone]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
* [[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker, the Egomaniac Clone]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
* [[Female Starscream|Female Clone]] ([[Tara Strong]])
* [[Liar Starscream|Honest Clone]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
;[[Team Chaar]]
* [[Strika (Animated)|Strika]] ([[Tara Strong]])
* [[Spittor (Animated)|Spittor]]
* [[Cyclonus (Animated)|Cyclonus]]
* [[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]] ([[Phil LaMarr]])
* [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] ([[Bumper Robinson]])
;Others
* [[Lockdown]] ([[Lance Henriksen]])
* [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] ([[Jeff Bennett]])
* [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] ([[Fred Willard]])
* [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave/Longarm Prime]] ([[Corey Burton]])

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
;Main Cast
* [[Sari Sumdac]] ([[Tara Strong]])
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
* [[Captain Fanzone]] ([[Jeff Bennett]])
;[[:Category:Supervillains|Supervillians]]
* [[Angry Archer]] ([[Jeff Bennett]])
* [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] ([[Peter Stormare]])
* [[Colossus Rhodes]] ([[Corey Burton]])
* [[Fusion creature|Meltdown's Experiments]]
* [[Nanosec]] ([[Brian Posehn]])
* [[Professor Princess]] ([[Kath Soucie]])
* [[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]] ([[Alexander Polinsky]])
* [[Master Disaster]] ([[Bill Fagerbakke]])
* [[Slo-Mo]] ([[Tara Strong]])

;Others
* [[Porter C. Powell]] ([[Bumper Robinson]])
* [[Mayor Edsel]]
* [[Mayor Edsel's press secretary]] ([[Tara Strong]])
* [[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]] ([[Corey Burton]])
* [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] ([[Tara Strong]])
* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] ([[Tara Strong]])
* [[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] ([[Bumper Robinson]]/[[David Kaye]])

|}
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==Episodes==
:''For further information, see: [[List of Transformers Animated episodes]]''

{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFFFFF" colspan=6 | Premire Movie: 2007 [[Transform and Roll Out]]
|-

| style="background:#FFFFFF" colspan=2 valign="top" |<center>'''Season 1: 2008'''</center>
# [[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]
# [[Total Meltdown]]
# [[Blast from the Past]]
# [[The Thrill of the Hunt]]
# [[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]
# [[Along Came a Spider]]
# [[Sound and Fury]]
# [[Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found]]
# [[Survival of the Fittest]]
# [[Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster]]
# [[Nature Calls]]
# [[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]
# [[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]

| style="background:#FFFFFF" colspan=2 valign="top" |<center>'''Season 2: 2008'''</center>
# [[The Elite Guard]]
# [[The Return of the Headmaster]]
# [[Mission Accomplished]]
# [[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]
# [[Velocity]]
# [[Rise of the Constructicons]]
# [[A Fistful of Energon]]
# [[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]
# [[Autoboot Camp]]
# [[Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday]]
# [[Sari, No One's Home]]
# [[A Bridge Too Close, Part I]]
# [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II]]

| style="background:#FFFFFF" colspan=2 valign="top" |<center>'''Season 3: 2009'''</center>
# [[TransWarped]]
# [[TransWarped]]
# [[TransWarped]]
# [[Three's A Crowd]]<ref>[http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/transformers-animated-threes-a-crowd/EP010096780035 Listing on zap2it.com]</ref>
# [[Where Is Thy Sting?]]
# [[Five Servos of Doom]]
# [[Predacons Rising]]
|-

| style="background:#FFFFFF" colspan=3 valign="top" |<center>'''[[Studio 4°C]] shorts'''</center>
# [[Career Day]]
# [[Evel Knievel Jump]]
# [[Mime Time]] (aka "Bumblebee")
# [[Starscream Heckles Megatron]] (aka "Mocking Megatron")
# [[Explosive Punch]]
# [[Bulkhead Plays with Grimlock]]
# [[Ratchet Performs Surgery on Bulkhead]]

| style="background:#FFFFFF" colspan=3 valign="top" |<center>'''Other shorts'''</center>
# [[Meet Bulkhead]]
# [[Meet Ratchet]]
# [[Meet Bumblebee]]
# [[Meet Optimus Prime]]
# [[Meet Prowl]]
# [[Meet Megatron]]
# [[Meet Starscream]]
|}

==Upcoming==
Season 3 premiered on both Cartoon Network<ref>[http://tformers.com/transformers-transformers-animated-season-3-debuts-march-14-on-cartoon-network/11088/news.html]</ref> and YTV<ref>[http://promos.ytv.com/transformersanimated YTV.com]</ref> on March 14th.

==Creative Staff==
There are some talented people working on this show. Among the more prominent-

{{collist|2|
* [[Sam Register|Sam Register]] - Executive Producer
* [[Marty Isenberg|Marty Isenberg]] - Story Editor, Writer
* [[Irineo Maramba|Irineo Maramba]] - Director, Character Designer
* [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick J. Wyatt]] - Art Director
* [[Jeff Shiffman|Jeff Shiffman]] - Co-Sound Supervisor
}}

==Home Video Releases==
===United States===
*'''Transform and Roll Out''' (DVD, June 22, 2008)
:A single DVD containing the three-part premier "Transform and Roll Out" and two unaired shorts. Has Full Screen video and stereo sound in English and Spanish. A Target [[exclusive]] version contains a second disc with "Home Is Where the Spark Is".

*'''Season One''' (DVD, August 19 2008)
: A Two-disc set containing the complete first season, from "Home Is Where the Spark Is" to "Megatron Rising Part II".

*'''Season Two''' (DVD, Jan 6 2009)
:A Two-disc set containing the entirety of season 2, from "The Elite Guard" to "A Bridge to Close Part II"; season 2 photo gallery and two animated shorts included on DVD. Includes an insert advertising the Jetfire/Jetstorm 2-pack on one side, various merchandise on the other.

===United Kingdom===
*'''Transform and Roll Out''' (DVD, August 4, 2008)
:Contains the three-part premier "Transform and Roll Out" and two unaired shorts.

*'''Volume One: Blast from the Past''' (DVD, October 20, 2008)
:Contains the episodes "Home Is Where the Spark Is" through to "Thrill of the Hunt".

*'''Volume Two: Lost and Found''' (DVD, June 15, 2009)
:Contains the episodes "Nanosec" through to "Lost and Found".

*'''Volume Three: Megatron Rising''' (DVD, June 15, 2009)
:Contains the episodes "Survival of the Fittest" through to "Megatron Rising".

*'''Volume Four: Mission Accomplished''' (DVD, June 15, 2009)
:Details yet to be announced.

==Comic Adaptations==
A [[Transformers Animated (IDW Publishing)|comic adaptation]] of the series was published by [[IDW Publishing|IDW Publishing]] starting in January 2008. The book used cartoon screen captures arranged in comic book style panels.

==Reception==
''Transformers Animated'' debuted January 5, 2008, at 10:30am EST as the number one television show among boys 6-11 in both cable and network television. In addition, the strength of the showing helped lift the ratings of all its neighboring shows in Cartoon Network's "Dynamite Action" scheduling block. <ref>[http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1701434,00.html ''Transformers Animated'' Premieres #1 on All Television Among Boys and Boosts Kids 6-11 and 2-11 Delivery by Powerful Double-Digits]</ref>

The immediate response to the earliest promotional materials from the online fandom was the [[Ruined FOREVER|painfully traditional one]], with an added dash of overblown paranoia that the franchise would be far too "[[Pokeformers|kid]]-[[Playskool|oriented]]" for longtime fans to enjoy, based on nothing more than its artistic style. Attitudes took an eyebrow-raisingly sharp turn with the premiere of the first footage from the show at the San Diego Comic Con and Hasbro's presentation at [[BotCon 2007|BotCon 2007]], and after the debut of the show, it was essentially only the most ardent "already-made-up-their-mind-to-hate-it" viewers who were speaking ill. In particular, many fears were alleviated with the airing of "[[The Thrill of the Hunt|The Thrill of the Hunt]]", which involved [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] savagely beating [[Lockdown|Lockdown]] for revenge, Ratchet coping with the loss of [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]'s memories, and a look at the horrors of war. This unusual level of maturity let many fans warm up to the new series.

The aforementioned ability of the series to carry on story arcs for multiple episodes and, in many cases, for an entire season also lends itself to enjoyment by older viewers. Multiple plot lines run simultaneously and are not resolved within a single episode, allowing a deeper, more intricate story than previous ''Transformers'' series. The return of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] took up most of season one, and the construction of the [[Space bridge|space bridge]] and the revelation of the identity of the Decepticon [[Shockwave (Animated)|traitor]] among the Autobots unfolded throughout the second season, while the mystery of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] origin has been hinted at throughout the entire series.

==Trivia==
[[Image:Tfa widescreen2.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The fullscreen broadcast and DVD release (top) cuts the sides off the widescreen image (bottom).]]
* Despite being animated in a widescreen format, the series is delivered to Cartoon Network in a cropped-down, fullscreen format, and is subsequently broadcast this way. Alas, the series has been released on DVD in this format, too. Fans could glimpse various widescreen images in a promo reel screened at various conventions before the launch of the series, which was later included on the DVD packaged with action figure two-pack, "The Battle Begins".

* The series is the first in over a decade to re-establish the classic ''Generation 1'' convention of blue eyes for Autobots and red eyes for Decepticons... though there is the [[Swindle (Animated)|occasional exception]].

* As well as the aforementioned ''Generation 1'' voice actors, [[Townsend Coleman|Townsend Coleman]] returns to a ''Transformers'' series. He voiced [[Rewind|Rewind]] in the original ''Generation 1'' cartoon.

* For some reason, a lot of fans want to believe that ''Animated'' is full of references to the anime ''[[wikipedia:Tengen_Toppa_Gurren_Lagann|Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'', selecting lots of random, generic, anime-influenced hand motions and assorted design quirks throughout season 1 as "obvious" nods to the series (seemingly ignoring the fact that ''Lagann'' referenced Transformers first with mechs shaped like the Autobot and Decepticon insignia). Then Derrick Wyatt announced that he hadn't even seen the show until the production of Season 1 was finished. ''HA''. Of course, the possibility exists that the second season may see some ''Lagann'' references, as Wyatt notes that it and ''[[wikipedia:Diebuster|Diebuster]]'' have since inspired the production staff, but Wyatt singles out ''[[wikipedia:Mighty_Orbots|Mighty Orbots]]'' and the British comic ''[[wikipedia:2000_AD|2000 AD]]'''s ''[[wikipedia:ABC_Warriors|ABC Warriors]]'' strip as the biggest influences on the character designs, with ''Lagann''/''Diebuster'' producers [[wikipedia:Gainax|Gainax]] animation studio as a constant source of influence.<ref>[http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21975298&postID=8564559979841180115 Comment section of "Back from Botcon" entry in Derrick Wyatt's blog]</ref>

* In May 2008, when North American broadcasts of the series were only four episodes into season two, all the remaining episodes of the season aired in Dubai. While almost nobody in the fandom had personally seen these episodes (and no one had seen them in English as they were intended), gossip based on viewer reviews and screencaps resulted in many plot developments and potential surprises being spoiled. Hooray.

* There is one possible continuity error throughout the entire first season: Megatron's decapitated head appears to be his Earth-mode head, even though [[Isaac Sumdac|Isaac Sumdac]] found it in its Cybertronian form. However, it could be argued that this look is due to Sumdac's mechanical tinkering over the last few decades.

* Yes, they have large [[Chin|chins]]. Shut up about it.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/ ''Animated'' character designer Derrick J. Wyatt's blog]
*[http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/transformersa/ The Cartoon Network's official ''Transformers Animated'' homepage]
*[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/animated/ Hasbro's official ''Transformers'' Animated homepage]

[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Television series]]
[[Category:Continuities]]

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Transformers Animated (cartoon)